Love, Castle Style
by Michelle285
Summary: The family talks about love and such.


_Disclaimer: I do not own! I own the idea of Anistyn, but not her name._

_ A/N: This is random and has nothing to do with Alexis' kidnapping. It's a little bit of happy for us all! The timeline is crazy, Kate and Caslte are married, they have a child and Alexis is in college. Go with it? Enjoy! _

"Mommy, how much do you love Daddy?"

Kate turned to her daughter, Anistyn. "What?"

Anistyn's eyes rolled. Even at four, she was already picking up some of Kate's habits. She jumped down from the stairs, skipping over two as she did. Kate's heart skipped a beat, the way it did every time Anistyn skipped over those last two steps. "Anistyn! How many times-"

"Too many!" Anistyn cut in. Anistyn gave Kate a smile that was an exact replica of the one Castle gave when he knew he had done something he shouldn't have. "Sorry. How much do you love Daddy?"

Kate blinked a few times. "That kind of love is hard to explain."

Anistyn cocked her head. "As much as you love me? You said loving me is hard to explain too."

Kate smiled. Her little daughter remembered almost everything. She nodded. "That's a good way to put it."

"Does Daddy love me as much as you love me?" Anistyn wondered.

"Definitely," Kate sad.

"Does he love you as much as you love him?" Anistyn asked.

"Yes," Kate answered.

"How much is it?" Anistyn asked again.

Kate wished Castle wasn't working right now. She knew he could probably explain it to their daughter better than she could. She also knew she nor Anistyn could disturb him right now. While he would probably welcome the distraction, Gina wouldn't when he was two days over his deadline. He was already one day over and Gina had been calling every half hour to scream at him. He repeatedly told her that didn't help him work any faster, yet she continued to call.

"Mommy!" Anistyn exclaimed, bringing Kate back to the situation at hand.

"Don't you want some breakfast?" Kate asked, trying to stall, to give her a way to explain the love. She walked toward the kitchen. She couldn't very well tell Anistyn that all the songs made sense. She didn't think the alphabet or "Itsy Bitsy Spider" had anything to do with how much she loved Castle.

When Anistyn didn't answer but to cross her arms and follow her mother, Kate had to stifle a laugh. Suddenly she had an idea. Kate spread her arms as wide as they could go. "This much."

Anistyn's eyes widened. "Wow! That's a lot!"

Kate laughed. "It is. Now, do you want breakfast?"

Before Anistyn could answer, the door to the loft slammed and a voice called, "Hello?"

"Alexis! Alexis! Alexis!" Anistyn shouted running toward the door.

Kate slightly sighed. Yet another interruption. She was glad Alexis had come, but Anistyn was way too much like Kate. If she wasn't reminded to eat, she wouldn't. Kate decided to start breakfast anyway.

Alexis stumbled into the kitchen, with Anistyn hanging on to one of her legs. "Hey, Kate."

Kate turned around and laughed at the picture. "Anistyn, give your sister some room to breathe."

Anistyn reluctantly jumped off Alexis' leg. "Do you love Daddy as much as Mommy loves him?"

"What?" Alexis questioned, taken by surprise.

"We're in a questioning mood this morning," Kate warned Alexis.

Alexis smiled. "I see. How much does Kate love Daddy, Anistyn?" Alexis had taken to calling Castle "Daddy" when she was talking to Anistyn. Anistyn understood, as much as a four-year-old could, about how Kate wasn't Alexis' mom, so Anistyn didn't question that too much anymore.

"A lot," Anistyn revealed.

Alexis nodded slowly. "How much is a lot?"

Anistyn rolled her eyes and spread her arms out to show Alexis.

"Ohhh," Alexis breathed. "Yes, I'd have to say I love him that much. Do you?"

Kate tried to hold in a chuckle. Only Alexis turned the questions around and asked Anistyn the same.

"Of course!" Anistyn exclaimed in a "duh" voice. "That's why I'm going to marry him."

Kate's head swerved toward her daughter, who was now sitting at the kitchen table. Alexis, who was headed toward the refrigerator to pour some milk for her sister stopped in her tracks and turned. "You're going to do what?"

"Marry Daddy," Anistyn repeated. "Don't look so shocked. I'll wait until I'm all grown up."

The nonchalance in Anistyn's voice had Alexis and Kate both turning back to their separate tasks, this time to hold in a laugh.

"Why do you want to marry your daddy?" Kate asked.

"Because he's the coolest Daddy every," Anistyn answered. "He works with the police…"

"I work with the police," Kate reminded Anistyn.

"Mommy, you are the police," Anistyn explained very slowly. "And I can't marry you, you're a girl."

Alexis burst out with a laugh before she was able to contain it. "Very nice, Small One."

Kate almost shot Alexis with a "shut up," but then remembered if Anistyn wasn't allowed to say "The S Word" then she couldn't very well say it either. She just sent Alexis a death glare. One that Alexis answered with a very sweet smile.

"Besides, Daddy doesn't only work with the police," Anistyn continued. "He writes very interesting books, though I can't read them yet, and everyone loves them. He lets me stay up really late and watch movies with him."

"And plays laser tag," Alexis interjected.

Anistyn nodded. "He reads me my bedtime story, calls me angel and most importantly, tells me he loves me every morning and every night."

Kate's heart melted at that statement. She knew Castle was a good father, but hearing it from her daughter only confirmed that statement and made her love Castle all the more.

Alexis wasn't affected by Anistyn's statements as Kate was. After all, this was something she experienced all her life. "Get with the program, Kate. Daddy really is the coolest Daddy ever."

This time Anistyn laughed before she could stifle it. "Very nice, Big One."

All three of them laughed at that.

-%

"I really do have to go," Alexis said for the third time. She, knowing she had class at 7:00, had started this process at 3. It was now 5:30 and she really had to go.

"Can't I come to school with you?" Anistyn asked, bouncing up and down.

Alexis bent down to Anistyn's level and ran her fingers through her little sister's blonde curls. "Not today, babe. I've got class later. But, I'd say this weekend there is a very good possibility that you can come up."

Anistyn threw her arms around Alexis' neck, while Castle looked at his daughter with a question in his eyes.

"I'll come down and get her," Alexis assured him. After all, she went through this routine almost every month.

"What about the girls in your dorm?" Kate asked. She knew Alexis lived in an all-girls dorm this year.

"Do you know what the girls are going to ask when I get back tonight?" Alexis inquired rhetorically. "They won't ask how home was, they won't ask about you guys and they won't ask for excerpts of dad's new book, which was a common theme in the beginning. They'll ask me when Anistyn is coming to visit."

Anistyn giggled while hugging Alexis' neck.

"Alright, Angel, off your sister," Castle said.

Alexis tried to stand up, but Anistyn's arms were still wrapped around her neck.

"Anistyn," Kate said sternly.

Anistyn sighed and then eased off her sister. "I'll miss you, Alexis."

Alexis hated this part. Her little sister always managed to melt her heart with a few words, a sad face and hazel eyes. "I'll miss you too, Small One. This weekend, I promise."

-%

"Castle, I love you," Kate said Saturday night.

Castle smiled at his wife. "What brought this on?"

"Can't I just tell my husband I love him every now and then?" Kate asked.

"You can," Castle agreed. "But you don't. Now what's up?"

Kate slightly rolled her eyes. He was, of course, right. "Your daughter wants to marry you."

"Alexis?"

This time Kate full out rolled her eyes. "Castle, of course not. Anistyn. When she's all grown up."

"She told you this?" Castle asked.

Kate nodded. "The other day. After she and Alexis had agreed that you are the 'coolest Daddy ever.'"

"How do you feel about that?" Castle teased.

"It melted my heart," Kate said. "But it didn't melt Alexis'. It's because she's used to it, because she had it her whole life. You are such a great father."

"So that's why you said you loved me," Castle realized.

Kate's heart started to pound. She had been looking for a moment, she decided this would be a good one. "You are a great father to your child, you are going to be a great father to our children."

"Children!" Castle exclaimed. "Plural?"

Kate nodded. "Eight weeks."

Castle shot up out of his seated position and spun Kate around. "I love you!" When he set her feet back down on the ground he asked, "Is this why Anistyn is with Alexis?"

Kate ran her fingers through her hair, knowing Castle loved it when she did that. "No, but since she is…"

Castle chuckled and felt his heart start to beat a little faster. He swept her up bridal style. "I like the way your mind works, Mrs. Castle."

_Well, I didn't expect to finish this, or post this, but here it is. I also didn't expect it to turn out so long-ish, since I got inspired by one line in a random song. I also didn't plan to put Alexis in here, but it seems I am incapable of writing a fic without her, as I have said before. I had an idea of how to connect her kidnapping to it, in a line, but I just couldn't do it! If you liked it, please review? Thanks for reading! _


End file.
